Fake it ’til you make it?

Today, my sons are were flying home for Christmas. Their flight was just cancelled, and we will wait at least another 24 hours to see them. One airport story begets another . . . a brief encounter with a magazine headline at a gift shop in the Frankfurt airport a couple of years ago. It was the Harvard Business Review, with these words enticing readers to open their magazine: “The Problem of Authenticity: When It’s Okay to Fake it Until You Make It.”

I had just finished my dissertation, which included a long section on authentic leadership. On seeing the arresting headline, several thoughts simultaneously passed through my mind. I wrote them down as soon as I sat down at the gate, but they’ve stayed on my computer ever since. So today, in honor of my sons who are spending an extra day in Chicago, here’s my gut reaction to “The Problem of Authenticity: When It’s Okay to Fake it Until You Make It.”

1. It’s NEVER okay to fake it.

2. It’s NOT that important to “make it.”

3. Or, maybe we would should recognize that every day is an opportunity to “make it” with the important things in life.

4. There are many problems with authenticity. For example, the many temptations to give it up.

5. It IS important to step out of one’s comfort zone (that’s one of the things advocated by the article).